Monday, November 11, 2024

Veterans Day 2024



27 comments:

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    1. Weird! The link takes one to a video of someone doing a craft project, but the COMMENTS underneath that video are certainly from the original video you posted…!?!

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    2. Same thing happened to me. -- nordy

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    3. I will try to be more careful in future; didn't know that would happen. For some reason when I pull of Lawrence O'Donnell it ends with the crocheter. Weird.
      ----Alan

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    4. It may have something to do with there being a two day lag between the program airing and it being offered to the general public as a link. I could only find up to Nov 8th the conventional way.

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  2. Re The Huchback of Notre Dame, a special set was made for the silent movie. The actor is seated on a bicycle seat, with feet on pedals that turn, and hands gripping handles that also turn. There is a backlit projection screen behind the actor, showing the approaching ground, and the actor recedes from the camera with the acceleration of gravity. The set continues to be used in other movies from time to time. The scene where the mob is chasing the hunchback through the depths of the cathedral is remarkable too.
    -----Alan

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    1. 1923, starring Lon Chaney. Free online [Click]
      —Alan

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    2. Victor Hugo usually dispensed with drafts; as memory serves me, he wrote out the entire text of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at one go, afterwards only changing a few words and the title of one chapter.
      -----Alan

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  3. Wow! The weatherperson predicted a little rain about 1 to 2 PM, and we doubted it; the clouds seemed to thinning and the temperature rising as we took our walk late in the morning. But right on the predicted schedule the clouds increased, the wind kicked up dramatically, and a bit of rain began to fall. The carpenters putting a second story on part of the house next door were/are having a heck of a time.
    -----Alan

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    1. Well, no weeding this afternoon!
      -----Alan

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  4. This Chart Predicts Every Recession (it’s happening again) [Click] Anybody care to place bets on whether Trump II will manage it well?
    ——Alan

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  5. Trump II is more likely to cause another Great Depression.

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  6. ~Susan above...

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  7. How California has been ‘Trump-proofing’ itself against federal reprisal
    Guardian: Even with Trump out of power since 2021, California has been setting up guardrails to protect its resident’s rights under an adversarial federal government. The state has enshrined abortion rights in its constitution, passed a ballot initiative explicitly defending the right of same-sex couples to marry and pushed for tougher gun laws that still adhere to the supreme court’s narrow interpretation of the right to bear arms.

    It has even considered establishing state funding to meet the cost of wildfires, earthquakes and other natural disasters in case the Trump administration decides to withhold emergency funds from states it deems to be politically hostile, as it sometimes did during its 2017-21 term. -- nordy

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    1. Noo Yawk and some other strongly democratic states have been preparing similarly.
      ---Alan

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  8. For transgender Americans, Trump’s win after a campaign targeting them is terrifying
    Los Angeles Times: Across the U.S., transgender and other queer people are grappling with the fact that Americans voted in large numbers for a candidate who openly ridiculed them on the campaign trail, and a political party that spent millions on anti-LGBTQ+ attack ads...
    [Trump] said he would sign an executive order upon taking office “instructing every federal agency to cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age”; block federal funding to hospitals that provide gender-affirming care; ensure “severe consequences” for teachers who acknowledge transgender children; and push schools to “promote positive education about the nuclear family, the roles of mothers and fathers, and celebrating rather than erasing the things that make men and women different and unique.” -- nordy

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  9. If you know a trans person, let them know that if they wish to legally change their name they need to also change name and gender of their birth certificate, not just IDs, before January 20th. A good friend of mine in PA who is a counselor sent me this link. Be sure to share it with them.

    Trans Documents

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  10. A man walks into a library and asks the librarian, "Do you have any books on Pavlov's dogs or Schrödinger's cat?"
    The librarian says, "That rings a bell but I'm not sure if it's here or not."

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    1. LOL, listener. -- nordy

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    2. A good 'un, all right. A bit of levity is most welcome these days.
      -----Alan

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  11. Wil made two references to Veterans today.
    He said "That's not an earthquake; it's all the veterans rolling over in their graves after the election."
    Later, he said, "I'm not going to make nice with Trump supporters. I'm not going to spit on the graves of the people who died for this country."
    Yeah...what he said.

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    1. There are two Marine Corps veterans on our street who reliably fly their flags for appropriate holidays. I have no reason to chat with the one, and only exchange pleasantries with the other; but I do wonder what they think of the situation.
      -----Alan
      BTW: several streets in our neighborhood are named after WWII military aviators.

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    2. If you see them, you might ask them. They may appreciate the chance to have their say, and we really ought to be hearing from them just now.

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